Coming Together
by Aerilon452
Summary: Dorothy and Cloud Dancing spend an afternoon together.


Summary: Dorothy and Cloud Dancing bond in the woods in an intimate way.

Rated: T+

Dorothy sat against a tree and watched Cloud Dancing watching her. He was sitting a safe distance away that was common for their times but Dorothy wanted him closer to her so she could run her hands through his long hair. It had been three weeks since the town had granted him safe passage from Colorado Springs to the Free Indian Territory in the north. Cloud Dancing decided to stay near the town and her, but mostly he stayed for her. She had never felt such love for him that she did when she had decided to break him out of the cell and leave with him so he could be safe in the North. Dorothy would have left everything behind and be someone of suspicion if Cloud Dancing had consented to go. But he had stayed and things had worked out for the better and it allowed them to have both lives. Cloud Dancing was free to come and go from the North to Colorado Springs where he could be with Dorothy.

"What is on your mind?"

Dorothy looked over at Cloud Dancing and merely smiled a contented smile. This was the life she wanted; the paper and Cloud Dancing. She had nothing else to want for beyond those two things.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about you. Thinking about how happy I am when I am here with you." Dorothy replied and rose to her bare feet to walk over to him. She stood over him and fisted her hands in her skirt to keep from reaching out to him. Every chance she got Dorothy rode out to Daniel's land where Cloud Dancing had made his home. Every chance she got she spent her free time with him.

He rose slowly and fitted his body to hers with his arms around her waist and her arms around his neck. Dorothy rose up on her toes to lightly touch her lips to his. The tenderness behind the kiss touched Cloud Dancing's heart as he lowered the pair of them back down to the ground. When they were together Cloud Dancing would teach Dorothy the Indian way of life more than he had done when he was imparting information for her book. Dorothy never got a chance to publish that book because she had burned it in an attempt to insure Cloud Dancing's safe escape to the Northern Territory. It hurt his heart to think of all her hard work being consumed by the flames. Pulling back from her he sat back down and crossed his legs having Dorothy put her back to his chest and look up at the sky. When she settled herself down Dorothy could comfortable lean her head back and rest it on Cloud Dancing's shoulder. She signed when his nimble fingers drew delicate patterns on her flat stomach.

"What do you wish me to do?" Cloud Dancing whispered close to her ear and Dorothy shivered in need. Women in her time did not have casual encounters in the woods; least of all not with an Indian. But Dorothy tested the lines of society time and again. Now she was willing to share herself with him. The night he had stayed in town she had told him about the operation Michaela had preformed. It was not the sum of her parts that Cloud Dancing had loved it was her fire and spirit that had drawn him to her. Without being asked Dorothy had shown him and he told her she was beautiful. That night he had slept beside her and held her while she dreamed. Cloud Dancing had watched her all night and when she had woke that morning she did so with a smile.

"I want you." Dorothy turned her head and saw the shocked and intrigued look cross his face. After a moment he smiled and kissed the side of her face. His hands tightened on her waist as he guided them to lie fully on the ground. Cloud Dancing had to reign in his control before proceeding too far.

"Are you certain?" he whispered making his lips inches from hers.

"I've never been more certain about anything." Dorothy whispered and closed the distance between them. Twisting her body so she was flat under him Dorothy wrapped her arms around him again.

"We should move out of sight." Cloud Dancing managed to pull back.

"You're right." Dorothy replied and kissed the underside of his jaw before being pulled to her feet by Cloud Dancing. They paused and looked around like teenagers. Sure they had held each other in sleep but they had never shared the intimate embrace of lovers. Dorothy hadn't been ready until that moment. Cloud Dancing took her hand and guided her to a secluded spot where blankets were already waiting for them. He had intended for them to merely lay and listen to the sounds of the creek.

Cloud Dancing sat down and held his arms up for Dorothy to join him. She lowered herself to the Buffalo skin and waited for Cloud Dancing. He leaned closer to her and brushed his lips against hers before getting her to lie down using only light kisses. She looked up and saw the desire in his eyes. Dorothy knew that she had the same look in her eyes and felt no shame. She wanted Cloud Dancing and this was the way she wanted him. He looked deep into her eyes and saw the nervousness behind the desire. Lips touching Cloud Dancing feathered his hand down to rest gently on her waist. He did not want to move things too fast and frighten her.

He started out with gently kissing her lips while his hand roamed up and down her side. Being bold Dorothy brought her own hands up and felt the muscles of his back tense as her hands wondered over his exposed flesh. Cloud Dancing wanted to show her the way a Cheyenne man loved his woman. Taking her hands in his he lightly restrained them above her head and smiled at her when she tried to remove them. Dorothy knew that he would be gentle and this was only his way. She trusted him with her body and her love.

"Trust me." Cloud Dancing whispered and nipped at her lips. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead before raining kisses down her neck. For ever button he opened Cloud Dancing would place a kiss and linger giving her time to decide whether she wanted him to stop or not. Dorothy allowed her eyes to flutter close as Cloud Dancing continued to unbutton her dress. Dorothy freed her left hand and ran it through his raven hair reveling in the silky feel between her fingers. She could feel him all around her and sucked in her breath when Cloud Dancing released the button clasping the cotton to her breasts. Dorothy wanted to stop his roving hands and clutch the cotton over the scar of what she used to have but Cloud Dancing made no move to pull the cotton over her shoulders. Dorothy opened her eyes and stared straight into his dark ones. He saw the worry in those eyes that he would leave her when he saw. Cloud Dancing would never leave her. She laced her left hand with his right and waited for him to continue.

"Do not worry so." Cloud Dancing whispered.

"I'm not worried." Dorothy gasped. A light breeze had kicked up and swirled around them. Keeping his eyes on hers Cloud Dancing exposed her shoulders. He leaned down and nipped at the exposed flesh but kept the fabric covering her breasts closed. He lightly kissed the exposed flesh and enjoyed the taste of her. She was everything he never knew he wanted until he had to be away from her so long. The time she had spent working on her book with him had lifted his heart and made him feel alive again. She held a place in his heart that Snow Bird had once belonged to. Last night he had listened to the spirits and found the peace he had long wished for; that peace was with Dorothy.

Dorothy removed her hand from his hair and freed her other from his grasp and pulled the top half of her dress down for him to see her. Cloud Dancing saw the scar of once was but he thought nothing less of her. It was still Dorothy and he loved her still. He thought she was still beautiful and it didn't matter there was a scar where he right breast used to be. Cloud Dancing placed his ear over her heart and listened to her strong heart beat. Dorothy took a long deep breath and laced her hand with his again. He only needed one for what they were to do. Cloud Dancing placed a tender loving kiss over her scars and rested his head against them.

"I have seen your scars, you should see mine." Cloud Dancing pulled away from her and sat up. Guiding the hand he held Cloud Dancing closed Dorothy's hand over the hem of his buckskin shirt. She placed her right hand on the other side of his waist and pulled his shirt over his head. There on his chest was the mark of the Sundance that every young Cheyenne man had to endure as a test of man hood. Dorothy dropped the shirt and placed a hesitant kiss to the closest scar. They both had scars in one form or another.

Cloud Dancing leaned down and kissed Dorothy as he lowered them back down to the furs while he settled his body over hers and put most of his weight on his forearms. The feel of her flesh on his made him want her more.

"Maybe this is why all young women are warned away from Indians." Dorothy whispered and nipped his lower lip.

"Is that so?" Cloud dancing replied and quickly kissed her.

"I could become addicted to you." Dorothy laughed and kissed him harder. Her heart was beating so fast that she couldn't believe how she felt for this man. She raked her short nails down his back and felt the muscles react to her touch. Dorothy accepted him into the cradle of her body and pulled and extra blanket over them to chase away the cool mountain breeze that whispered through the trees and surrounded them. Cloud Dancing slowly rested his full weight on her and became accustomed to the feel of her all over again.

Dorothy moved her hands up to frame the side of his face. His breath came in short bursts as she feathered her hands around to undo the leather cord holding the bone choker to his neck. Setting it aside Dorothy pulled Cloud Dancing back so her lips could taste his. The fire coursed through his blood and called to the primitive side of his nature that demanded he claim his woman. She saw the need reflected in his eyes and arched her back.

"I want you." Dorothy groaned and gasped when she felt Cloud Dancing graze her shoulder with his teeth.

Michaela and Sully had taken a picnic lunch out into the meadow and then decided to take a walk down near the creek. They had seen Cloud Dancing and Dorothy's horses tethered to a nearby tree but they didn't see the couple anywhere. Michaela walked over to the horses and made sure they were ok while Sully headed into the grove of trees. He crouched down and was stunned at what he had found. Dorothy and Cloud Dancing were locked in a lovers embrace.

"Sully?"

"Michaela quiet." Sully whispered and his wife joined him. She looked in the direction Sully was pointing but turned away quickly.

"We should go." Michaela whispered and headed back the way they had come as quietly as they could.

"Michaela relax." Sully whispered and followed his wife. He was happy that two of his friends could find some measure of peace together.

Dorothy relaxed as Cloud Dancing kissed his way down her body while removing the rest of her dress. The wind whispered over her kin and caused her to shiver as Cloud Dancing nipped his way back up to her lips. His flesh warmed hers and he waited for her to tell him to stop, but she didn't.

Cloud Dancing had slid her dress down and all Dorothy had done was remove his shirt. Being bold Dorothy slipped her hands under the blanket to undo the buckskin leggings he wore. He rolled so that Dorothy was on top and staring down at him. The blanket covered her bare back as she peeled the buckskin from his legs. His skin was soft and yielded to her touch. Could Dancing cupped Dorothy's face just as she had done to him and guided her up and over him. He released the pins in her hair and watched as the long locks cascaded down and over her shoulders to dance along his skin. His hands ran over her shoulders and rested on her back. The coolness of his skin amazed him even though she was flushed.

Just as Dorothy had become accustomed to being on top Cloud Dancing reversed their positions and waited a beat before entering her. Dorothy gasped at the sudden contact but recovered quickly. She laced one hand in his hair and waited to become comfortable with him inside her. He levered himself up on his forearms to take some of the weight off of her. Cloud Dancing shifted once and groaned at the feel of her around him. He was careful not to move to fast till she wanted him to.

"Dorothy." He gasped.

"Yes," She said and wrapped her other arm around his shoulder and felt him begin to move. It was more than she had ever hoped it would be. His body fit with hers so well that it was almost as if he was made for her.

LATER THAT AFTERNOON:

Cloud Dancing woke with Dorothy curled into his side still sleeping. Her fire red hair hid her sleeping face and the Medicine Man took a moment to see her. She had just given a part of herself to him that he never would have asked for. He had given her his heart, his body, and his soul during their union. Cloud Dancing moved some of Dorothy's hair out of her face and kissed her cheek. He then propped himself up on his elbow and waited for her to stir from sleep. As she continued to sleep Cloud Dancing felt her fingers curl and uncurl as her arm lay over his waist. Settling on his back Cloud Dancing pulled Dorothy closer and listened to the afternoon sounds. Birds chirped in the trees and water flowed against the rocks in the creek, but what caught Cloud Dancing's attention was the snap of a twig. He stilled his sated body and listened for the sound again. Another twig snapped like a thunder clap in the quiet of the grove of trees. It was not an animal that had caused the sound, but that of a man hiding in the brush. Cloud Dancing slowly replaced his leggings and slipped from Dorothy's side. Quietly he crept closer and closer to the source of the sound until he came upon the culprit.

"Brian." Cloud Dancing whispered and shook his head.

"Cloud Dancing, I saw your horse and Ms. Dorothy's as well. Thought I would…" Brian had started to say but Cloud Dancing held up his hand in silence.

"I will see you in town later. The reason I am out here is…" he started but Brian interrupted.

"Is to be alone with Ms. Dorothy."

"You should return to town." Cloud Dancing turned the boy towards the direction of the town and gave him a light shove. He shook his head and smiled while making sure Brian headed back over the hill and towards Colorado Springs. Sometimes the boy perceived too much.

Dorothy woke up as soon as Cloud Dancing settled back down next to her. She was bare under the Buffalo fur and she was content to stay there the entire afternoon with Cloud Dancing. He had touched a part of her that no one had dared, not even Loren. The Cheyenne man's love for her was unlike anyone else's. Cloud Dancing rested his hand on her hip and smiled at her. She noticed that he was half dressed.

"Something happen?" Dorothy asked her voice filled with contentment and the last edges of sleep falling away.

"Brian came looking for us."

"Time to go back to town?" The information of Brian breezed past her. She only thought of having to leave Cloud Dancing's side and not wanting to.

"Yes." He smiled at her and handed her the dress she had been wearing earlier. Somehow she had gotten into it without having to come out from the fur. Dorothy rose from the pile of blankets and started to button her buttons when Cloud Dancing put his hands around her waist from behind. She sank into him and let him continue what she had started with the buttons. He left the top two buttons open and placed a bone choker around her neck, securing it with the leather ties. Dorothy's hand came up and felt the new adornment. When she turned to face him he was also wearing a different one from earlier.

"I assume yours matches mine?"

"It does. I made them for us when I was in the Northern Territory." Cloud Dancing in formed her and taking her hand in his kissed her knuckles lightly. Dorothy had never had this chance for romance and she was getting the wild side of it. When she had been married to Marcus he had only thought of taking. Never had she would have thought of making love out doors in the middle of the afternoon. But Cloud Dancing was different from Marcus and Dorothy found she hadn't really loved her deceased husband. She knew she loved Loren but not in the same way she had come to love Cloud Dancing.

"If we head back to town I'm sure we could eat a late lunch at Grace's." Dorothy mused and smiled. She knew that she would be smiling the entire day and well into tomorrow.

"I am a little hungry." Cloud Dancing replied and lightly kissed her.

"I can't imagine why?" Dorothy laughed and together they headed to their horses.

GRACE'S CAFÉ:

Cloud Dancing sat close to Dorothy and watched the other town's people watching them. Dorothy seemed oblivious to their stares and slight whispers. On the ride back she had nudged her horse close to his so she could place her hand in his. Normally she would have put her hair up immediately but for some reason it felt right to leave it down.

"I have not felt such peace in a long time." Cloud Dancing whispered and leaned close to Dorothy.

"Neither have I." She replied and took a drink of the cold apple cider Grace was famous for.

"Mind if we join you?"

Dorothy and Cloud Dancing looked up together and saw Sully and Michaela standing next to their table. They smiled and Cloud Dancing gestured for them to have a seat.

"You two look happy today." Michaela commented and smiled at both of them.

"We are." Dorothy said and took Cloud Dancing's hand. She knew that he would be able to be with her and not have to fear the army coming to take him away. Today they had made love out in his natural setting and Dorothy hadn't felt the least bit ashamed. He had felt so right being with her. Dorothy could still feel Cloud Dancing's skin on hers and it made her crave him all the more. So much to the point her dress became too encasing. She just wanted to be back near the creek with Cloud Dancing holding her and listening to the sounds of nature, or even better if they could be on the Reservation sleeping in his lodge.

"Dorothy?" Cloud Dancing whispered close to her ear and se gasped.

"What?"

"You were not listening."

"No, I was not." She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder and talked with her friends. The conversation ran well into the late afternoon before the dinner crowd came into the café. Dorothy and Cloud Dancing parted company from Michaela and Sully with the promise that they would ride out to the home stead for supper than night.


End file.
